U.S. Pat. No. 7,425,169, filed Dec. 30, 2004 describes a system of interacting with a virtual representation of a real world product. According to this system, a user can buy a toy or item which is associated with a special code. The toy exists in the real world, and the code forms a key to the virtual world. The user enters the code on a website and enters the virtual world.
The virtual world provides activities and views with which the user can interact. The virtual world, as part of the interaction, provides a virtual replica of the actual toy. Users can carry out various activities on the website using their virtual version of the toy. For example, the user can form a house with rooms, furniture, decorations, toys, clothing, and other objects. The user can also carry out activities to earn cash and purchase virtual items using that cash.